Cynocephalus
Native unto the lands of Aerisca and Dhenia, the Cynocephali are a race of tall, dog-headed people, whose visage is both fearsome and unnatural. In the Third Age, they were a people of great prosperity and skill, renowned for their cunning and their craft. Yet now have they fallen into barbarism, wandering as nomadic bandits, preying upon the merchants and caravans that traverse the Dragon Silk Road.
Of Their Form and Nature
The Cynocephali bear the likeness of hyaenae that have risen to walk upright upon two legs. Their frames are wiry and strong, their sinews hardened by the harshness of their lives. As their name doth signify, their heads are as those of hounds, with long snouts and jaws full of sharp and deadly teeth, by which they rend the flesh of their prey.
Of Their Dwelling Places
The Cynocephali prefer the warm and open lands, such as savannas, grasslands, and shrublands, wherein they may roam freely. In the northern reaches of Aerisca, certain tribes inhabit the arid lands of the Senu Desert Desert, living as marauding bands. These tribes did once dwell in the fertile Djezid Savanna Belt, but have migrated northward, driven by need and their own lawlessness.
Of Their Sustenance
The Cynocephali are eaters of flesh, consuming the meat of beasts and, at times, of their fellow speaking creatures. Fresh meat they do favour above all, yet they are not above consuming carrion when hunger compels them. Oft is it seen, after a battle, that the Cynocephali feast upon the bodies of their slain foes, a grisly custom that doth strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.
Of Their Abode Within the World
Though tribes of Cynocephali may be found scattered upon every continent of Tel, their number is greatest in Aerisca and the Ruden Steppelands. These lands, vast and untamed, afford them both the sustenance they seek and the means to raid and plunder those who travel through them.
Civilization and Culture
History
Of the Corruption of the Cynocephali and Their Fall into Darkness
In the ancient days of the Third Age, the Cynocephali were a people of great renown, dwelling in cities of stone and timber, adorned with cunning works of craft and learning. They were mighty in trade, their caravans bringing wealth and goods from distant lands. Yet pride and ambition grew within their hearts, and they desired dominion over their neighbours, that none might rival them in power.
Of Their Pact with the Leviathans
In their arrogance, the leaders of the Cynocephali turned unto forbidden arts, seeking power beyond the bounds of mortal ken. They did call upon the Leviathans, the ancient and chaotic powers that dwell in Abythos. These monstrous beings, embodying the forces of destruction and corruption, heard the call of the Cynocephali and offered them power—yet at a terrible cost.
The Cynocephali entered into a foul covenant with the Leviathans, forsaking the light of order and justice for the promises of might and conquest. They did build altars and temples in secret, hidden within the shadowed places of their cities. There, they offered sacrifices of blood, even the lives of their own kind, to appease these dark lords and gain their favour.
Of the Corruption of Their Civilization
The blessings of the Leviathans came swiftly, for their power is vast and seductive. The Cynocephali grew strong in war, their armies overcoming all who opposed them. Yet the gifts of the Leviathans are poisoned, for they sow discord and madness. Greed and cruelty took root among the Cynocephali, and their rulers became tyrants, ruling with iron fists and feeding their people's souls into the ever-hungry maw of the Leviathans.
As their civilization grew mighty, it also grew hollow, its foundations rotted by corruption. The great cities of the Cynocephali became dens of iniquity, where blood ran like rivers and the screams of the sacrificed rose daily to the heavens. The natural bonds of kinship and honour were broken, replaced by treachery and violence.
Of Their Descent into Barbarism
The Leviathans, ever hungering for chaos and destruction, cared not for the fate of their followers. When the Cynocephali had drained their lands and peoples of all vitality, their civilization began to crumble. Their cities fell into ruin, overrun by rebellion and strife. Many among the Cynocephali, driven mad by their dark pacts, turned upon their own kind, devouring one another in both body and spirit.
Bereft of their former glory, the Cynocephali abandoned their ruined cities and became nomads, existing though slave raids and plunder. However, their devotion to the Leviathans did not waver, for they believed that only through blood and chaos could they regain their lost strength. Thus, they became the scourge of the Dragon Silk Road, preying upon the weak and spreading terror wherever they roamed.
Of Their Enduring Evil
To this day, the Cynocephali remain a people accursed, their once-noble heritage forgotten, save in the bitter tales of their victims. They continue to worship the Leviathans, offering sacrifices of blood and destruction in the hope of reclaiming their former power. Yet they are blind to the truth: that the Leviathans are but deceivers, feeding upon their despair and leading them ever deeper into darkness.
Thus, the tale of the Cynocephali standeth as a dire warning to all peoples, that the pursuit of power without virtue leadeth only to ruin, and that the bonds of chaos bring naught but destruction and woe.
